Letters to the Editor
Memories Dear Editor, I would echo Alastair Aitkenhead’s memories (Scottish Country Dancer 11) of Miss Milligan - her talks, when we gathered in the Stone Court at University Hall during Summer School, were a highlight. I have many other happy memories of St. Andrews: Winnie Wadsworth’s classes and Nan Main’s playing; Bobby Watson’s Highland dancing and Jackie Johnstone’s parties; trooping down to Joe’s Cafe between classes; dancing a Thirty Two Some Reel on the West Sands; Bill Ireland throwing us into the sea; Innes Russell desperately trying to get me to drink a Drambuie shandy during Lammas Fair and exploring the East Neuk of Fife on the back of a motorbike. The enjoyment in dancing well goes on. Even then it was about “flight and formations” and the fun was in the music and the friends. So do not be content merely with ceilidh dancing when we have so much more on offer in our thousands of dances. As Elaine Wilde points out (in the same issue) the friendliness of Scottish country dancing needs to be maintained if our membership is to rise to its former numbers. What can be more sociable and challenging than for eight people to meet and dance together in a set? Yours, Rachel Phillips (Isle of Arran)
Pronunciation Dear Editor, I read with interest Jimmie Hill’s article in Scottish Country Dancer 10, but I must disagree with him on his pronunciation of Balquhidder; he says ‘Balwhidder’. I was brought up in that area and we always said ‘Balwhither’. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel written about 1890 Catriona greets David Balfour with the question, “Come ye from Balwhither?” I have also discovered that in old Scots there are many words where ‘quh’ is pronounced ‘wh’. There is another theory that the ‘q’ is a corruption of the Scots liquid L sign as in Drumelzier and Menzies. Perhaps some of your readers know more about the liquid L and N.
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Finally, I have often wondered why the letter ‘h’ is missing in the title of Balquidder Strathspey in Book 24 but originally from David Rutherford, 1760. There is also a reel tune called Balquidder Lasses. Yours sincerely, John Laurie (London)
Gender-free SCD Dear Editor, Scottish country dancing assigns different roles to men and women. But in the RSCDS women have always danced together and, with the arrival of groups like Gay Gordons, this situation needs to be reassessed because it applies in other cases, too. I was first forced to re-think terminology during Dance Scottish Week 2006. Primary school children wouldn’t dance with the opposite gender so I used features in the room – clock and windows – to identify the two sides of a set; for round-the-room dances, partners could be identified as “the righthand/left-hand person”. Although adequate for a one-off situation, something more structured is needed for groups which dance regularly. London Gay Gordons adopt a system of gender-free terminology taken from ballroom dancing: “men” are “leaders”; “women” are “followers”. I think this inappropriate for SCD, where many dances have women leading (e.g. Mrs Stewart’s Jig). In the London group “followers” wear a band across their torso and I’ve seen the same thing in women’s SCD groups – but in the latter it’s “men” who wear a band. Likewise in the Edinburgh Gay Gordons dancers on one side of the set wear bands. The cover of Scottish Country Dancer 10 shows soldiers dancing The Kandahar Reel with “men” wearing red shirts and “women” wearing blue – great for displays, but not practical in a class where one wants to avoid stereotyping. Most dance instructions can also be given in a gender-free way by substituting “bands” or “leaders” as required. Does any reader have a better solution either to the visual identification or to the naming problem? Yours
Tim Bolton-Maggs, Edinburgh
Dance etiquette Dear Editor, Elaine Wilde, in her article 'In my Opinion' (Scottish Country Dancer 11) expresses
sentiments which I have held for many years. Every aspect detailed by Elaine should be addressed and acted upon by all those who care for the future of Scottish country dancing. Less advance booking at dances. Make a start by reserving at least two dances for someone you don't know. You may find this refreshing and even enjoyable! Smile, be courteous and gentle. Shortening dance programmes by just one dance would enable you to socialise more. Try it - it’s worth it! Thank you, Elaine, for speaking up for so many of us. Happy dancing. Yours, Elisabeth Leishman (Orpington & District Caledonian Society, Kent)
Historical research Dear Editor, I was very interested in reading Marilyn Healy’s report from her meeting with Joan Flett (Scottish Country Dancer 10). I thought it might be helpful to point out to RSCDS members that the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library at Cecil Sharp House, the Headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society in London, has a copy of all the items referred to at the end of Marilyn’s piece, including the articles from the School of Scottish Studies, plus copies of a number of the Fletts’ manuscript field notes. These are accessible free to members of EFDSS but anyone can visit the library to research materials for a small fee. The library also has an extensive collection of Scottish dance notation and historical dance material for reference. Yours,
Mike Wilson-Jones EFDSS Trustee and RSCDS member
The Kandahar Reel Dear Editor, I would like to thank members of Aberdeen, Ayr and Edinburgh Branches who attended Dance Scottish Week events and bought 200 copies of The Kandahar Reel in its first week of publication. I was very struck by the number of older members who expressed their pleasure at its publication and confided that their father or grandfather had served in a Scottish regiment. Sincerely,
Jimmie Hill (Edinburgh Branch)
